// Давно я не брав в руки шашку і не ганяв qassab'ів… :-)Q:
Is the use of “Kiev” (or other Russian-based spelling) considered offensive in Ukraine?Someone edited my question, which originally used "Kiev" to mean the capital of Ukraine, but edited into "Kyiv". I just briefly googled it and found that "Kiev" is a Russian word while "Kyiv" is a Ukrainian one.
I wonder if it is considered offensive, or otherwise not welcomed among Ukrainians.
I feel that people don't care about my pronunciation, so the issue would be only in the written context (e.g. chat with AirBnB hosts, ask help for a stranger on a smartphone, etc...).
So, is it offensive for locals? Or approximately how many people (in percentage) care about it?
A:
You seem to be one of those who have approved the edit, so I guess (correct me if I'm wrong) this question's goal is primarily to confirm your original thought.
Also, "is it offensive?" seems to be a subjective term that can't be measured. I would say yes, someone else would say no, and we end up in a battle "word against word". So let me focus of facts only.
Official. According to UNGEGN (United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names), the only possible English-language transliteration is "Kyiv".
The same source confirms the proper spelling for Donets'k, Luhans'k, Kharkiv, and several others.
Other languages. Besides "Kiev", there are other spellings, including "Kiew", "Kijow" and even 《基辅》, pronounced — believe it or not — [ji-fu]
.
People's perception. Indeed, spelling "Kiev" is a direct transliteration of "Киев", the Russian word for Kyiv, and many Ukrainians (not all, however) associate this with the Russian occupation that happened in the past and the armed invasion and partial occupation that occurs at the moment.
Many Russian officials also insist on using an incorrect spelling "the Ukraine", see link below. This, multiplied to the fact that many Ukrainians speak bad English or don't simply care (like JonathanReez♦'s answer suggests), has some effect.
The following photo shows the very process of russification. "Little green men" in unmarked uniforms on a truck (right) "enforce the Russian spelling" on a road sign at the entry to the occupied Donets'k city by removing the "soft sign" so that «ДОНЕЦЬК» became «ДОНЕЦК».

Most obviously, this makes people who disagree with "Russian-styled" toponyms in Ukraine. Like myself.
More to go. Having several names for toponyms (for various historic reasons) happens in other countries, too: Burma/Myanmar, Mumbai/Bombay, Munich/München, Beijing/Peking, Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok/Krungthep Mahanakhon, Falkland/Malvin Islands, to name a few.
A Traveler's Rule of Thumb (mind you, we are at Travel.SE). A traveler should always consider the historical and cultural aspects in order to avoid being perceived as an ignorant person (and, in corner cases, as an enemy agent).
However, there is no problem if a foreigner uses Russian as their way of communication. Check this question for further details: What is the main spoken language in Kiev: Ukrainian or Russian?
Also, related: Does anyone want Ukraine to be called “the Ukraine”?